Chapter 4: Rules and Stuff

The wolf nodded when she asked if he was Chace. At least it looked like a nod. The wolf gave a few sharp barks and then trotted toward the house again. She took that to mean he wanted her to follow him. She hoped that later she would be able to understand the meanings of the barks.

Glancing back at the woods, she sighed and followed the wolf into the house. She figured that was the better choiced since the woods seemed to be a scarier place than she first though.

The wolf started to head up the stairs. But she had other ideas. She was not going to be locked in my bedroom again. She hated that feeling. Being shut up in a room like that felt like a cage to her. Maybe she was a wolf. They didn't like the feeling of being confined either. Making a final decision, she stopped in her tracks.

"No!"

Turning toward the sitting room, she went in and curled up on the couch. A couch she use to love as a child. Her memories of her grandparents made her sad. If they were really gone that would not make her happy in the least. She already lost her parents.

"I won't let you lock me up again. Please don't lock me up in that room again."

She pleaded with Chace. She knew that on some level that he wasn't cruel at all. She had seen the look in his eyes. From the werewolf stories she had read, wolves always were a bite grouchy. That didn't mean they were cruel. They were part human and part wolf. Each part had to merge and work together.

The wolf growled but came into the sitting room.

She sighed and looked down at her hands. She hated being chastised and knew that was coming next.

A moment later Chace came around from the back of the couch. He was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and he looked pissed. She cringed momentarily as he came closer.

"There have to be some ground rules, Rowan. You cannot wander outside at night without me. It isn't safe. You are mine. I won't have another wol.....er man trying to pick up on you. You were born to this position. I know this is hard for you. But you have to listen to me."

He sat beside her and looked her in the eyes, which made Rowan feel even more nervous. This was all happening so fast. She missed her parents and now Ryder was upstairs changing into a monster. A monster like her. She closed her eyes as a tear slid down her face.

Chace sighed and pulled her into his arms and onto his lap. She didn't try to fight him this time. She was having such a hard time with this whole thing that it didn't seem to bother her. This was such a different action for him compared to the funeral. Maybe he wasn't so back after all.

She was so confused. What was she supposed to do? Everything was new and frightening at the same time. She had no idea until now that she was a supernatural being. Yet, she often wondered why at times she thought she heard something in the back of her mind trying to reach out to her. Was it her wolf?

She wanted to be like she was before. Outgoing. Friendly. Feisty. She loved to read. Believe it or not, she had a big interest in the supernatural. But never had she believed that werewolves, vampires, and magic existed. Until now. She relaxed her head against his chest and he spoke once more.

"I know that this is something that you don't understand. But there have to be rules. You will finish your schooling via homeschooling. So that I can keep an eye on you. Plus you need to be here with me to help your brother through his transitions. He accepted the bite on his own, but right now he is sleeping and will need to rest. As you start getting used to things, I will introduce you to the town again. Most of us are wolves. Some humans. You will soon be able to tell the difference. But you must do things as I say. I won't lock you in your room unless you get out of hand. Keep in mind that I am your alpha and you will do as I say. When we go shopping for clothes and food tomorrow you will stay right next to me. Ana and Jane, our housekeepers are going to take care of Ryder while we are gone. He won't be much for shopping right now."

Rowan nodded and wiped her cheeks. She would at least be given some freedom. She had no idea that there would be tons of shopping the next few days. Or that she would meet a few friends that would be allowed to come to her house to visit her. Right now she could barely understand anything that was going on. Ryder must be scared at this point. But there was nothing she could do. He would need to have time to adjust.

She could feel how tired she was at this point and she started to drift off in Chace's arms. She had not wanted to ever do that. But with everything that was going on, the comfort of his arms was what she needed at the moment.

She felt him stand and carry her up the stairs. The movement didn't seem to bother her as he carried her. It was almost like she was light as a feather and he acted as though she didn't weight a thing. She expected to feel the softness of the matress of her canopy bed with crushed red velvet curtains. 

That didn't happen.  

Instead of taking her to her own room he took her to his. After removing her shoes and socks he crawled under the covers with her and held her close. This would have normally bothered her, but she was so tired that she did not even try to stop him. It felt normal and she was exhausted.

She felt Chace pull her even closer and she realized that he could not help himself. He truly loved her and she did not even know what the meaning of the word was.

Not yet.

Still, she didn't remember seeing much of him growing up. She hardly knew him and when she was visiting her grandparents, he was never around. So there was that. She never saw him as an uncle. Not really. He was so much younger that her father and somehow, she never felt a connection. Not until now.

As she drifted off, her thoughts went to her parents once more. A small part of her still wondered if she believed that she was what he said she was. She had always felt different as a child growing up. But she had not known what was the underlying cause for such a feeling. Even now in her sleep, her thoughts seemed to run wild. 

It was in that moment she felt it.

Was that tingling against her skin where his skin was touching hers.

That stuff only happened in story books. Right?